Eva Jacqueline Longoria (born March 15, 1975) is an American television and film actress. She has received two Screen Actors Guild Awards and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Longoria promotes humanitarian causes and was named Philanthropist of the year.Longoria is known for her roles as Isabella Braña on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless from 2001 to 2003, and as Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. For her work on Desperate Housewives, she received a Golden Globe Award nomination. She has also starred in films such as Harsh Times (2005), The Sentinel (2006), and Over Her Dead Body (2008).

Eva Jacqueline Longoria was born on March 15, 1975 in Corpus Christi, Texas, the youngest of four daughters born to Mexican Americans Enrique Longoria, Jr. and Ella Eva Mireles. Her mother was a special education teacher and her father was in the Army. She was raised Roman Catholic. She worked at a Wendy's restaurant for three years while in high school.Longoria received her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology at nearby Texas A&M University-Kingsville.During this time, she won the title of Miss Corpus Christi, USA in 1998. After completing college, Longoria entered a talent contest that led her to Los Angeles; shortly after, she was spotted and signed by a theatrical agent. While auditioning for roles, Longoria worked as a headhunter for four years.She received her master's degree in Chicano Studies at California State University, Northridge in May 2013.